Miami University Robotics Club receives grant for agricultural robotics project
Miami University CEC’s Robotics and Automation Club recently received a $12,000 grant from the Women’s Giving Circle for their research applying robotics in agriculture.
Miami University Robotics Club receives grant for agricultural robotics project
Miami University College of Engineering and Computing’s Robotics and Automation Club received a grant of $12,000 from the Women’s Giving Circle to help fund their recent work applying robotics to agriculture.
Last semester, the club competed in the SICK TiM10K competition with their agriculture robot, which used a specialized scanner to monitor crops in farm fields. This grant will help fund an independent research lab that will utilize similar equipment, including drones and a rover to use and manage crops on Miami’s all-organic farmland.
Club president Brad Gartner, a junior majoring in Robotics Engineering, expressed his interest in both agriculture and engineering and decided to apply for the Women’s Giving Circle grant to fund an agricultural robotics lab. Agricultural robotics has been prominent in other countries to reduce pesticide and herbivore use on crops.
After completing a research internship at the University of Georgia over the summer, Gartner got especially interested in an agricultural robotics focus and decided to migrate his interest to Miami’s robotics club to create a new opportunity for himself and other interested research students.
“Chemical runoff has had a negative environmental impact on so many farms today. I'm hoping [our research] will not only have a positive impact on the university’s farm but also on students who want to gain research experience,” Gartner said.
For students interested in opportunities from the robotics department, contact faculty advisor Dave Hartup (hartupd@miamioh.edu).
